Egbu, C O; Henry, J; Kaye, G R; Quintas, P; Schumacher, T R and Young, B A (1998) Managing organizational innovations in construction. In: Hughes, W (ed.) Proceedings of 14th Annual ARCOM Conference, 9-11 September 1998, Reading, UK.
Abstract
This paper is based on an on-going study on innovation sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It aims to develop a prototype training simulator that will provide experiential learning of the cultural aspects of the innovation process in organizations and the influence of uncertainty and resistance on innovation success. Based on four case studies from four different innovative construction organizations, over 50 ethnographic interviews, company archive documents and video capture of innovation processes and products, this paper examines the culture and climate that support innovations in construction organizations. It also considers risks and their management in the context of innovation. Innovation creates possibilities for competitive advantage. The paper concludes that managing organizational innovation is a complex and integrative social process. The successful management of innovations involves a balanced consideration of both the 'hard' issues of materials and techniques and the 'soft' human side issues within organizations. A culture that supports risk-taking and learning from mistakes; effective top-down, bottom-up and lateral communications; and one where people are allowed to contribute and feel part of the innovation process is an important aspect of a supportive organizational context in which creative ideas can emerge and one where innovations can be fostered and sustained.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction; culture; innovation management; organizations |
| Index terms: | social process, documents, organizational innovation, innovation management, risk taking, interview, competitive advantage, experiential learning, construction organization, case study, prototype |
| Subjects: | communities and social development, market analysis, professional development, decision-making and reasoning, modelling and simulation, learning methods, innovation studies, organization, business, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Education, Organizational Design, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Information Management, Engineering Principles, Stakeholder Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here